May 13, 2011 | Community
The ancient Romans had a phrase for it: Mens sana in corpore sano – “a healthy mind in a healthy body”, referring to the ideal balance for living a productive life. Thanks to coaches and community volunteers like Scottie Zucco, our keiki in Maui County are able to pursue sporting activities that enhance their lives. Zucco is the founder of the Aloha Volleyball club, which counts well over 100 participants and whose mission is to grow volleyball on Maui. The club does a lot a voluntary “behind the scenes” work, maintaining volleyball courts around Maui and running free tournaments year-round. The club also holds instructional camps and offers financial assistance as needed. Zucco has a fullschedule; in addition to his voluntary activities, he is a parttime PE teacher at Kula Elementary School and Achievement Academy, a Wailuku homeschool, and he coaches the Seabury Hall girls’ varsity volleyball team.
“My philosophy in coaching volleyball is about building character first; competition comes second,” says Zucco. “Young athletes mirror what their adult role models are doing, and I’m a believer in the system embraced by legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. His “pyramid of success” stresses values such as hard work, enthusiasm, loyalty, self-control and commitment. A good coach has to care about each child, and these qualities define character,” he adds.
Zucco has done much to promote youth beach volleyball on Maui, a format that the NCAA has just recognized as a scholarship-eligible college sport. He is quick to recognize that the rise in popularity in the both indoor and outdoor volleyball owes much to the hard work of other clubs in the community and growing cooperation amongst coaches. “Right now I’m working on plans to develop more courts and facilities,” says Zucco. “This year we pioneered a pilot High School beach league, and one of my goals is to see it develop as an official sport in the MIL.”
May 10, 2011 | Environment
A recent article (April 26) in the Pacific Business News (PBN) described progress in efforts to develop a 200 MW wind farm on Molokai.
Take this poll and tell us what you think.
[poll id=”2″]
May 5, 2011 | Environment
Gunars Valkirs, a renowned biophysicist, volunteers his time and considerable expertise to the Whale Trust, a Maui-based nonprofit organization that conducts permitted research on the complex behavior, communication, and social groupings of humpback whales. Currently, one strand of the Trust’s research focuses on the relationship between whale behavior and steroid hormone levels tested in blubber samples. Among his other contributions, Valkirs is mentoring and supervising students analyzing the hormone samples at Lahainaluna High School in teacher Steven Cornell’s biotechnology lab.
Valkirs has spent his distinguished professional career in medical diagnostics after graduating with a doctorate from UC San Diego. He invented and developed the first rapid, visual pregnancy test before founding his own diagnostic research company, Biosite Inc. After selling the company in 2007, Valkirs and his wife, JoRene, retired to Maui and established the Makana Aloha Foundation, a private family foundation committed to supporting and improving the Maui community. “We share the community values expressed through Focus Maui Nui. Before we moved here, we had not fully appreciated the strong sense of community and ‘ohana,” notes Valkirs.
Commenting on public education in Maui Nui, Valkirs says, “I am a product of public education and I am committed to supporting excellence.” Valkirs explains that his foundation supports public education through the agriculture program and science lab at Lahainaluna High School; environmental conservation, especially the work of the Whale Trust; human needs through healthcare projects; and the arts. Valkirs’ vision for future work includes a marine biology facility within the public school system, and establishing active collaboration in whale research between students from Maui and Alaska.
Meanwhile, the work of the Whale Trust continues by promoting scientific research on whales and the marine environment, and by developing public education programs based directly on research results. For more on the Whale Trust, go to: http://whaletrust.org/.
Apr 28, 2011 | Community
Photo by Caitlyn Panis
Ten Things Your Family Can Do To Perpetuate Your Cultural Heritage:
- Trace your family tree
- Attend cultural events, festivals and gatherings
- Collect the memories of your grandparents and elders in your cultural community
- Share old family photographs
- Maintain your cultural traditions
- Teach your children about the language of your heritage
- Join a group that celebrates your culture
- Learn about the history, art, and music of your cultural heritage
- Cook traditional foods and share family recipes
- Encourage your children to take lessons in the dances of your cultural heritage
How does your family perpetuate your cultural heritage?
Apr 21, 2011 | Education, Stemworks
In Celebration of EARTH DAY and in honor of teachers, students and parents worldwide, download the Clean Energy Hawaii STEM iPad App from iTunes on April 22nd!
Download the app on iTunes ->
Read the Press Release ->
The ancient Romans had a phrase for it: Mens sana in corpore sano – “a healthy mind in a healthy body”, referring to the ideal balance for living a productive life. Thanks to coaches and community volunteers like Scottie Zucco, our keiki in Maui County are able to pursue sporting activities that enhance their lives. Zucco is the founder of the Aloha Volleyball club, which counts well over 100 participants and whose mission is to grow volleyball on Maui. The club does a lot a voluntary “behind the scenes” work, maintaining volleyball courts around Maui and running free tournaments year-round. The club also holds instructional camps and offers financial assistance as needed. Zucco has a fullschedule; in addition to his voluntary activities, he is a parttime PE teacher at Kula Elementary School and Achievement Academy, a Wailuku homeschool, and he coaches the Seabury Hall girls’ varsity volleyball team.
